Jimmie Johnson gets Dale Earnhardt Sr. “VIBE” from Austin Dillon’s controversial Richmond win

Austin Dillon took the chequered flag at Cook 400 in a controversial fashion.

Jimmie Johnson gets Dale Earnhardt Sr. “VIBE” from Austin Dillon’s controversial Richmond win

Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson (In Circle) and Austin Dillon (Via IMAGO)

The No.3 charter has been an iconic racecar number in NASCAR. The No.3 Chevy was driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Sr. back in the day. However, his driving usually fell in the grey area causing debates even after the race had been finished. A similar incident happened with the No.3 Chevy at Richmond as Austin Dillon controversially won the Cook 400 after wrecking out two opponents. This led Jimmie Johnson to draw similarities between the two drivers.

Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time Cup Series champion and is tied with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty for the top spot. The 48-year-old has heard legends about the other two competitors and has been up close with Earnhardt’s racing during his junior career. On the other hand, since he has taken a part-time role in racing, he gave his take on the heart-stopping finish at Richmond.

YouTube video

Austin Dillon won the race by wrecking out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final corner. This caused a massive uproar to demote him. However, the former Cup Series champion gave a three-word reply on the situation, while siding with Dillon as he referred to how such instances were neglected in the past and reminded him of Earnhardt Sr.

FS Video
Dale Sr[.] vibes
Jimmie Johnson wrote on X
RELATED
Joey Logano blasts Austin Dillon, claims the RCR racer “su**ed his whole career”
Joey Logano and Austin Dillon

Austin Dillon’s win is still not away from threat

Sometimes, taking the chequered flag does not necessarily mean a win for the driver. Moreover, multiple drivers have suffered the wrath of being disqualified or being penalized after winning a race on track, as Hamlin would be well aware of. On the contrary, the 34-year-old’s win might face a similar verdict if the stewards decide against him.

Austin Dillon
Austin Dillon (Via IMAGO)

Similarly, Dillon’s move has been publicly criticized by multiple experts. The Vice President of NASCAR insisted that despite the sport’s origin deems it to be a contact sport, unfair wins would not be accepted and the 34-year-old was awfully close to the grey area of it being a racing incident or an intentional one.

Our sport has been a contact sport for a long time. We always hear, 'Where's the line?' and 'Did someone cross the line?' I would say that the last lap, it was awful close to the line. We'll take a look at all the available resources from audio to video, we'll listen to the spotter, we'll listen to crew chief and drivers, and if anything rises to a level that we feel like we need to penalize, then we'll do that on. Tuesday.
Elton Sawyer said

Though NASCAR initially decided the RCR driver’s win to be fair, subsequent meetings would take place between officials. Thus, JGR’s Hamlin could inherit the win from the No.3 driver as officials look forward to meeting and deciding the win’s fate by Tuesday.